The rising mass struggle in E] Salvador culminated in a successful June 28 and 29 general strike that paralyzed the entire economic and administrative life of the country.
In the face of the advancing struggles, the Salvador junta and the extreme right have unleashed a wave of bloody terrorthe most horrible ever seen in Latin America—in order to prevent a second Nicaragua in El Salvador.
Since the junta rose to power, nearly 5,000 people have been massacred. Just since the beginning of this year, the number of victims—men, women, and children—reached 4,500. It is clear that this terror is escalating. According to accounts from Catholic sources, teachers are beaten in front of their pupils and children are tortured in front of their parents.
These crimes are perpetrated because imperialism and the Latin American capitalists continue to provide increased financial, economic, technical, and military aid to these assassins. American imperialism especially, continues to increase its arms shipments and continues sending “advisers” to aid the Salvador junta.
A large section of the international workers movement—especially the mass Communist Parties in Western Europe, the West German Social Democracy, and the British Labour Party—have come out publicly against the terror of the junta and extreme right. However, in reality not very much has been done to halt the massacre of Salvadoran workers, peasants, students, and their children.
It is high time to put an end to this inaction. It is high time for these assassins of the Salvadoran people to be outlawed by all of humanity. It is high time for the international workers movement to throw all its weight behind the effort to prevent the junta from carrying out its crimes.
We must demand that every government immediately break diplomatic relations with the junta and halt all military and economic aid to it. We must especially demand that all political parties in the workers movement and those who participate in the governments of their country, immediately raise the demand for a total economic blockade against the junta and the Salvadoran reactionaries. At the same time the trade unions and workers parties must organize a massive public campaign to denounce the crimes committed against the Salvadoran people and to provide political and material support to the revolutionary organizations joined together in the Revolutionary Coordinating Committee of the Masses, which are organizing and working together to defend the Salvadoran masses against the terror. Not one penny for the Salvadoran reactionaries! Down with the murderous junta! For an action campaign to defend the Salvadoran masses! Imperialists: Hands off El Salvador!